A unique set of resources to train doctors,
nurses, and other health professionals to promote and prescribe exercise for clinical
treatment and disease prevention is being launched by healthcare experts at The
University of Nottingham.

The ‘Exercise Works’ Resource Set is a
collection of evidence-based slide sets for teaching the benefits of physical
exercise in 21 different areas of healthcare, including cancer, stroke, heart
disease, mental health and post-surgical recovery.

The resources are available free to
undergraduate schools of medicine and health sciences worldwide. They have been
developed by an international team of exercise healthcare experts in response
to the global obesity epidemic and resulting guidelines from the World Health
Organisation (WHO) and the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care
Excellence (NICE).

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Head of the University’s School of Health Sciences,
Professor Patrick Callaghan, who coordinated the evaluation of the resources,
said: “We cannot overstate the beneficial impact of carefully prescribed
exercise in all areas of healthcare which is proven in a wide range of
research. Our University is at the forefront of cutting edge healthcare
education and these resources will transform the quality of our education in
promoting exercise to enable individuals and communities transform their health
and wellbeing.”

The development of the resources was led by
Nottingham alumna Ann Gates, a member of the World Heart Federation Emerging
Leaders Programme 2014. Ann said: “A qualified doctor, nurse, midwife or allied
health professional may see nearly half a million patients, during their career
so this has enormous potential for advocacy and the promotion of physical
activity. These new resources will enable medical and allied health
professionals to be trained to deliver evidence-based, safe and effective
exercise advice in the delivery of health care.”

A series of questions on the role of
exercise in the treatment of ill health is undergoing a quality assurance
process by the Medical Schools Council Assessment Alliance for inclusion into
the national multiple choice question (MCQ) question bank, for finals
examination, for the UK undergraduate medical degree. This means that all UK
medical schools will be able to access finals exam questions on exercise
medicine and health.

Dr Eleanor Tillett from The British
Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine (BASEM) said: “A great deal of work
by Ann Gates and her colleagues has gone into creating these comprehensive and
evidence based teaching materials, setting educational standards and content
for the future and providing medical schools with a stand-alone teaching
package. This serves to highlight the importance of future health care
professionals, having a working knowledge of, and ability to promote physical
activity for the health of all nations.”

The success of the project will ultimately
depend on the commitment of undergraduate schools of medicine, nursing,
midwifery and health sciences and examining boards to protect and promote the
health of patients, by educating all tomorrow’s health care professionals in
the promotion of physical activity.

Centres of medical education should contact
ann@exercise-works.org for details
of how to access the relevant resource sets.

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Our academics can now be interviewed for broadcast via our Media Hub, which offers a Globelynx fixed camera and ISDN line facilities at University Park campus. For further information please contact a member of the Communications team on +44 (0)115 951 5798, email mediahub@nottingham.ac.uk or see the Globelynx website for how to register for this service.

Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with campuses in China and Malaysia modelled on a headquarters that is among the most attractive in Britain’ (Times Good University Guide 2014). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and the winner of ‘Research Project of the Year’ at the THE Awards 2014. It is ranked in the world’s top one per cent of universities by the QS World University Rankings, and 8th in the UK by research power according to REF 2014.

The University of Nottingham in Malaysia (UNMC) is holding events throughout 2015 to celebrate 15 years as a pioneer of transnational education. Based in Semenyih, UNMC was established as the UK's first overseas campus in Malaysia and one of the first world-wide.